Jang Deuk-soo asks me a question as he looks at Hong-shin, who had collapsed face-first into the table.
“She passed out just from the word ‘sister’? She isn’t dead is she?”
I look at Hong-shin’s scruff and shake my head.
“I was never told you had a sister?”
“I didn’t have one but I got one. I’m now the leader of the Black Rabbit Union.”
“What?”
When Jang Deuk-soo looks at me with surprise in his eyes I repeat my statement.
“I am the Black Rabbit Union Leader.”
Reminded of what I had done in the past Jang Deuk-soo immediately understood.
“Ah congrats.”
“Don’t mention it. And this woman is Hong-shin one of the Twelve Generals.”
“I see so that’s what you meant by sister.”
“We’ve both Dae Na-chal’s disciples. This fight is how should I put it? This is a fight to determine who is scarier between Dae Na-chal and me.”
Having learned the situation Jang Deuk-soo clicks his tongue and says.
“Look at her fainting in a heartbeat. Apparently you’re scarier. Be nice to the sister you don’t even have in this life. She’s pretty too.”
I turn my head quickly and check Jang Deuk-soo’s gaze and expression.
“Don’t tell me……”
“What? Why?”
“Did you fall in love? At first sight? In a moment? Predetermined fate?”
Jang Deuk-soo avoids my gaze and replies.
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Hey Jang Deuk-soo. Stop right there. It must be hard to keep a straight face huh?”
“I’m doing the dishes.”
As Jang Deuk-soo enters the kitchen I can hear Hong-shin clearly breathing. The more you cultivate Qi the more sensitive you are to sound. Hong-shin is still lying face down on the table.
I stare at Hong-shin and mutter.
“Did she pass out from tasting heaven after devouring two pork ribs?”
Jang Deuk-soo who is washing the dishes in the kitchen laughs.
“…So you have control over the Black Rabbit Union?”
“Of course I do. I can spot a few wretches but I don’t think it’ll be a problem. So Gun-pyeong is meticulous anyway.”
“Ah the guy who lost to a kitchen knife?”
“Hm that guy.”
“How long do you plan to hide your identity?”
“Until I kill Dae Na-chal.”
“You sure are busy.”
I speak casually to Hong-shin who is still lying on the table.
“You have ten days. Are you sure you wanna sleep?”
Hong-shin springs up like a ghost and replies.
“No I’ll be finished before the ten days are up.”
Poking his head out of the kitchen Jang Deuk-soo looks at Hong-shin with a stunned look. Although she might be one of the Twelve Generals Hong-shin bows her head to Jang Deuk-soo who is able to chat casually with me. Looks like she’s adopting an attitude of indefinite cautiousness toward those around me.
“Thank you so much for the pork ribs.”
“Don’t mention it. Please come again.”
“Well I’m off.”
Bowing with a palm in fist salute Hong-shin takes off from the Chunyang Restaurant as if she is running away.
Hong-shin runs away with large steps before turning her head casually and looking back into the store.
Her ‘brother’ is staring at her.
“…”
Then her fake brother slowly put both of his hands up.
Upon close inspection it is a clear sign telling her she has ten days left. Then when her fake brother uses his hand to draw a line over his neck Hong-shin hurriedly turns her head as her fear of him becomes reaffirmed in her thoughts.
Hong-shin flees at a rapid speed and continues to look back. Whenever she hears a sound her body flinches as if she is having a seizure.
“Gasp! It’s nothing. It’s just a leaf.”
A moment later as soon as she hears a rustling in the woods Hong-shin says in a startled tone.
“Brother? Brother is that you?”
It is not until she sees a wildcat running away that she breathes a sigh of relief.
“No the wildcat is brother.”
Hong-shin who is about to move again cautiously instead begins running back with all her might to her safe house (安家).
‘Scary he’s really scary.’
A well-known thief tends to have safe houses all over the place and Hong-shin is no different.
She plans to go back to the nearest safe house and relax today. This is because the sensation of Qi Deviation flowing back from her stomach is already reaching her chin.
Hong-shin who has been running at her life’s top speed passes through a bustling street wanders around the alley and then calmly enters an ordinary house with an epiphany.
“As expected home is the best. Home is the best.”
It is a cozy safe house consisting of a small pond a yard a training site surrounded by high walls and a main house separate from the outbuilding.
It is a house she bought with money collected from indiscriminate theft. However as if the flower of doubt has sprouted Hong-shin quickly examines every corner of the house.
Somehow she is afraid someone might be hiding inside.
Despite confirming that no one is there she sits on the floor doing nothing and blabbers.
“Brother? Are you here? If you’re here come in and have a cup of tea. Haha ha….”
“…”
Sure that her surroundings are quiet Hong-shin eases her pretentious laughter and looks at her condition calmly.
‘If this goes on I will go insane. This isn’t right. Let’s keep our wits together.’
At this time someone knocks on the one-sided door that appears normal from the outside.
Knock knock knock.
Hong-shin asks in astonishment.
“Who is it?”
Knock knock knock.
“Who are you! I’m not buying!”
Suddenly Hong-shin takes a deep breath to calm herself down. She stands up with a resigned expression and heads for the door.
“Ah is it you brother? Just a minute.”
Hong-shin thinks it would not be difficult for her fake brother to follow her since his movement skill is superior to hers.
When she opens the door a young man she’d never seen before stares back at her.
Hong-shin frowns and says.
“Who’re you? Why are you knocking on the door without saying anything? Do you want to die?”
A young man holding something tightly in both hands parts his dry lips.
“You have ten days left…. I don’t know anything!”
The man scurries away. His mannerisms suggest that they have not learned martial arts.
Hong-shin looks at the fleeing person with a blank expression.
“That filthy scum…”
The fleeing young man bumps into someone clumsily and drops what he has in his hand on the floor. The young man hurriedly picks up the silver on the floor and runs away.
‘Ah my money…’
Suddenly a high-pitched ringing sound rings in Hong-shin’s head causing her to grab her forehead.
People are adaptive animals.
Hong-shin presses her hand against her heaving chest and takes a deep breath.
“The money was taken because you lost. Forget it. Let’s forget it. It’s not my money. Peace of mind huu…”
Hong-shin speaks to herself as she closes the door on her way inside.
“You can earn it again.”
Suddenly someone’s laughter from afar echoes for a long time. The laughter seems to originate from a high place maybe a nearby rooftop. The sound is long at first and gradually thins out.
Using his light footwork to cause the laughter to echo is just a simple if strange trick.
Of course with that skill level it is none other than her fake brother.
Suddenly Hong-shin sweeps her hair up with a serious look.
Subsequently Hong-shin’s eyes fall into a straight line and her expression turns stone cold.
What is the right word to describe this change?
To put it in a similar context these are the eyes and expressions of a woman that has gone insane.
With her eyes filled with madness Hong-shin declares in a cold voice.
“…I will kill you.”
Has she finally come to her senses? Or is it a declaration of war on her fake brother?
This is what she says next.
“White Rat Yellow Horse Green Dog you are all dead in my hands. Ohohohohoho.”
Hong-shin’s laughter also stretches long like her fake brother’s.
How far can a person fall into insanity?
You can never know.
In any case Hong-shin has also taken the first step into that world.
Madness is an infectious disease.
Hong-shin is not an ordinary woman but the order of invisible madness is being put together in this way.
The errand boy wins!
It’s been a while since I had practiced my footwork so I feel refreshed.
I ran at full speed from the path to the Black Rabbit Union to Ilyang and from Ilyang to Magnolia Street where Hong-shin’s safe house is hidden.
Helping my sister with her upset stomach and finding a bathroom on my way back are all part of the practice.
Practice should not be cut short even for a moment.
In particular it is necessary to quickly raise my movement skill to their peak.
The advantages are endless.
Above all it is also an essential escape technique for survival and can help when someone faces a diarrhea crisis.
When one’s movement skill is at its peak only then can one be admitted to a mysterious faction that even Kangho warriors do not know of the Nimble Guild (快黨).
Since ancient times there have been lunatics in Kangho who only trained to the death on their movement skills. They hold secret gatherings and compete against each other regardless of their factions.
All to gain one title given to one person.
The Quickest One (天下第一快).
Or the Nimble Master (快尊) or Nimble Leader (快黨主).
I don’t know when the meetings started. At first the meetings started small and were held irregularly.
But over the years this gathering of lunatics transcended to become a gathering of the Unorthodox and Orthodox (正邪魔).
It became a mysterious force that even the Murim Alliance couldn’t identify. As I was rather agile in my previous life I was a member of the Nimble Guild but I was never able to be the Nimble Master.
The world is big and many masters are roaming it.
In particular it is challenging to overpower those lunatics who treat killing-oriented martial arts like a devoted partner while only training to run fast.
I got to know several masters in the guild.
They could not escape their childhood factions because of their birth and blood ties but they dreamed of deviance while acting as a guild member.
Recalling the gathering with the masters of the guild I sprint back to Ilyang with all my might.
Nothing comes free in this world.
It is the joy of life to step into a world that doesn’t even acknowledge your existence until you become stronger and faster.
That’s why I’m currently running.
Even helping my sister find the bathroom has a deep meaningful agenda.
After leaving the rough Unorthodox Faction which only uses petty tricks all the time I clasp my hands behind my back with a satisfied expression.
The construction of the Zaha Guest Inn is going smoothly.
As I look at the construction site with a happy smile Yeon Ja-seong informed by his workers comes up to me with a white band on his head.
“Leader you’re back.”
I nod my head.
“Good job so far.”
“It’s nothing. Can I call you brother in a place like this?”
“Of course.”
“Where have you been? Seong-tae told me you infiltrated the Black Rabbit Union.
I reply in an indifferent voice.
“The leader of Black Rabbit Union has business in the afterlife and now the responsibility is mine. I have to go back and forth between Ilyang and the union for the time being so it will be difficult to see you often.”
“Ah I see.”
“Did any of the guys make any trouble? I was a little concerned about the Black Hurricane Castle.”
“You know Sima Bi with the ponytail? He often patrols Ilyang with his lackeys. They look terrifying and are armed so no one dared to cause trouble even if they wanted to.”
“Ah yes. Sima Bi.”
Sometimes I forget people’s existence.
“What about Cha Seong-tae?”
As soon as I ask Yeon Ja-seong smiles and reports on the incident.
“He sparred against Sima with a wooden sword and got his ass kicked so he’s training these days. He’d already lost (全敗) all ten battles (十戰). These days it has become quite the spectacle. Crowds gather every time they spar.”
“Where are they sparring?”
Pointing at the wide-open space in front of the construction site Yeon Ja-seong says.
“This is a big place so they always spar here.”
I guffaw and reply.
“The leader of the Rebirth Sect getting his ass kicked every day? Pathetic.”
In short it is good news that Sama Bi and his lackey have adjusted well to Ilyang. He is skilled so even if the Black Hurricane Castle invades Sama Bi and his men can handle them.
Holding a busy person for a long time is not polite so I take out the money pouch. Yeon Ja-seong grabs me by the arm.
“Ah brother. It’s fine. You don’t have to do this. The wages you pay are plenty enough.”
I make a sound with my mouth and elbows out of his grasp.
“Sseub tsk.”
I take out five pieces of gold from Hong-shin’s pouch and hand them to Yeon Ja-seong.
“Take it. And make sure to buy everyone a round of drinks when you see fit. Everyone’s just trying to live. They’ll wear themselves out if they work too hard. Go have fun. Keep it.”
“This seems like way too much. You don’t get to see gold so often.”
“The Architectural Sect has a lot of men.”
Yeon Ja-seong grabs the gold pieces and says apologetically.
“Apologies you must have earned this the hard way. I will buy snacks and alcohol from time to time. I’ll use it well.”
“It’s not that hard to earn anyway. Use it as you see fit. I’m off.”
“Have a safe trip sir.”
I walk away with a wave.
Money is earned and used.
So for the time being I have no choice but to make money by beating up Unorthodox Factions. They’re the ones extorting ordinary people in the first place.
Sometimes the world needs some revenge and payback.
The corners of my mouth raise up at the sudden cheers of the workers from the construction site.
